You see, when “Smooth” is ready to weigh-in for his fights, you can be sure Burt Watson and Dana White will soon be holding a towel (sending the girls scurrying away), as Henderson always makes use of the full 156 pounds allowed in his lightweight contests.

But now, with a UFC title shot against a smaller Frankie Edgar looming on the horizon, Henderson said he wants to push the envelope even further.

“I’m sure [Edgar] is used to it, but it’s definitely something I do want to take advantage of: my size,” Henderson said following Saturday night’s post-UFC on FOX press conference. “I want to get as big as possible, bulk up a little bit and do a good job of cutting weight, re-hydrating – do a very scientific job of that to be as big as possible, size-wise, shape-wise, to my advantage.”

Henderson, of course, looked absolutely unstoppable in earning a unanimous-decision win over Clay Guida in the featured preliminary bout of Saturday night’s UFC on FOX event in Anaheim, Calif. Following the win, UFC president White confirmed Henderson would get the next crack at Edgar. The two are now expected to meet in the UFC’s February return to Japan.

Henderson admitted he’s been anticipating the matchup for quite some time.

“To be completely honest, I know I shouldn’t,” Henderson told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) in regards to his advance scouting. “You never want to look past an opponent – especially an opponent as dangerous as Guida – but you start hearing rumors, and of course you always have your eye on the No. 1 guy. You have your eye on whoever has the belt. You have your eye on that No. 1 guy, so of course I had my eye on him.

“I knew at some point in time I was hoping I would get a chance to face him. You could definitely say I was breaking down some film and watching him, seeing what I would do in this situation, what I would do in that situation.”

The muscular Henderson will enjoy a three-inch height advantage on the champ, and it’s safe to say they will not weigh the same on fight night as they do when they hit the scales the day before. As usual, Edgar will enjoy an advantage in the speed department, and his striking technique is a bit more refined.

Edgar will also boast a significant advantage in terms of big-fight experience after headlining three consecutive UFC pay-per-view cards.

However, Henderson knows all about main-event bouts after his successful six-fight run in the now-defunct WEC organization, and he believes his time as champion of that promotion has him prepared to stake his claim as titleholder in the UFC, as well.

“It’s all the same,” Henderson said. “It’s fighting. Whether you have those three letters, UFC, or three letters, WEC, it’s all fighting in front of some cameras and having a good performance. That’s what I’m about. But yeah, I would definitely say the WEC prepared me for this.”

Once considered “second-tier” lightweights, several WEC veterans (including Henderson) have already made waves in the UFC’s 155-pound division. Like most of the imports, Henderson kicked off his octagon run with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. However, he believes his three-straight wins in the UFC have done enough to erase all doubts as to his true abilities.

“I think myself and a lot of the other WEC guys, we’ve proven – we’ve said everything that needs to be said,” Henderson said. “Me personally, I don’t like to talk too much about it. I like to let my actions speak for themselves inside the cage, inside the octagon.

“It is what it is. It’s all said and done. I think our actions, myself, ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and a bunch of the other guys. Our actions inside the octagon have spoken for themselves.”

Should Henderson prove victorious, he’ll become the first former 155-pound WEC champ to also earn a UFC belt. It certainly won’t be an easy task, as Edgar has proven himself as one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighters. But Guida, who was admittedly impressed by his opponent’s performance, believes Henderson certainly has what it takes to compete.

“I think that’s a very interesting matchup between him and Frankie Edgar,” Guida said. “Between me and Frankie, we’re the two smallest guys in the division, I think. I think we fight with the biggest heart. Ben is right there. He fights with a lot of heart and emotion. He feeds off the crowd.

“He’s a tough kid, and he deserves that shot in Japan. It’s going to be awesome. I’m going to be sitting and watching that one close.”

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.